Tentative 2017 Schedule

[scribblemyname]

Potential Schedule #1 - 4 Weeks Writing Period

• Nominations: Tuesday, October 10 - Sunday, October 22
• Sign Ups: Tuesday, October 24 - Sunday, November 5
• Assignments Out: Monday, November 13
• Assignments Due: Saturday, December 9
• Work Reveals: Sunday, December 17
• Author Reveals: Sunday, December 24

Potential Schedule #2 - 5 Weeks Writing Period

• Nominations: Sunday, September 24 - Saturday, October 14*
• Sign Ups: Tuesday, October 17 - Sunday, October 29
• Assignments Out: Monday, November 6
• Assignments Due: Saturday, December 9
• Work Reveals: Sunday, December 17
• Author Reveals: Sunday, December 24

*(Yuletide sign ups in the middle, Oct. 1-9)

Very tentative. Feedback welcome. Trying to fit two weekends into some of these activities. And that's a four-week writing period for 1000 words.

Comments

[crescent_gaia]

I like it. I feel it gives us more than enough time, even if some participants also do Yuletide. I know that I'll be doing both challenges.

[scribblemyname]

I'm still on the fence about doing Yuletide this year, but I figured I wanted to complement the timeline a bit.

[(Anonymous)]

I wouldn't sign up for a creating period that short. I'd have no confidence in my ability to deliver. I assume you're trying not to crash into Yuletide, but maybe stretch it to have things due just after December 25? That would be closer to the length of creation time you had last year.

[scribblemyname]

Would you be up for a 5-week writing period? I'm not sure a 6-week one is actually wise in that timeframe, and reveals being the day after Yuletide opens sounds like a recipe for disaster.

[(Anonymous)]

I was suggesting not reveals but stories due around 26/27th, then reveals around New Year's. Back in the lj Secret Santa days it was pretty common and seemed to work okay despite Yuletide, but perhaps the fest landscape has changed too much for that to work.

Six weeks is my personal minimum to see on a schedule but I know I'm slow - five might be a good compromise for the majority of people.

[scribblemyname]

Right, just me missing the obvious. I'll run the numbers, see how things jive with my schedule, and look at options.

[sapphire2309]

Either schedule works for me! If it comes down to it, though, I'd prefer the shorter writing period. Far out deadlines don't go well with me.

[scribblemyname]

Thanks for the feedback! I kind of like shorter writing times myself but want to pick what works best for everyone.

[sholio]

I prefer the longer writing period given my tendency to write long, but I'm good with either schedule! And I am definitely planning to sign up. :D

btw, do you think shortening the nomination and signup period might help with the time issue? With nominations in particular, it's not a big time commitment for people to contribute those, so it doesn't necessarily need to be any longer than a week or so.

[scribblemyname]

Nominations also allows me time to research noms while they're going and has the goal of two weekends because I'm going to need them.

Same with signups. Exchanges with only one weekend for signups miss a chunk of potential participants who can only make one weekend or the other.

[sholio]

Ah, that makes total sense - in particular, I completely forgot about the approvals/modding side of it! (I've only ever modded single fandom exchanges where the approvals are really easy - it would be much more complicated in this case.)

[klutzygirl]

I think potential schedule 2 works better, tbh. Although maybe shorten the nomination period?

[scribblemyname]

The second nomination period is because I expect most nominating activity to cease while Yuletide signups are on. I could avoid that window in the first schedule but not the second.

[klutzygirl]

Ah, makes sense!

[crescent_gaia]

I like potential schedule #2 more because, as I went in my head, omg that's a month to write. I'm one of those writers who jump around on projects when one isn't working so the extra time is nice. Also, I'm one of those who will go back and re-read their submission a million times and edit every little thing. :D

Re: sign ups - I know I've nearly missed sign ups before when the window is shorter, so thanks for giving a bit more time.

[scribblemyname]

I think I'm good with the #2 schedule and more people seem to prefer it so...

[starvels]

just popping in to agree with the opinion that the 5 week schedule seems to work well!

thanks for running the exchange again btw!! <3